About

Eamon Murphy was an English grad student before joining DailyFinance in 2011. As associate editor, he has written about Occupy Wall Street, the price of Legos, the value of artwork by Thomas Kinkade, and the human cost of making Apple products. In addition to U.S. culture, material and otherwise, he is interested in world politics, linguistics, and literature.

So the fact that Reuters let slip an obituary of someone who isn't dead, while remarkable, is not the strangest thing about this story; rather, what's so noteworthy is the wire service's harshly critical presentation of Soros's life, which doesn't seem in keeping with their usual style.

Here's a screenshot of the obit's first few paragraphs:

The obituary goes on to explain that Soros, who is Jewish and was born in 1930, "survived World War Two and then emigrated to Great Britain," where he "landed his first job in the financial industry largely through pure stubborn chutzpah."

Soros's philanthropy is said to have "been marked as much by his personal journey as by the needs of the communities he set out to serve."

And the article ends, after having mentioned an insider trading penalty and an unsuccessful bid to acquire the Washington Nationals baseball team, by observing that "these failings stand out in the life of this remarkably successful Hungarian-American financier, philanthropist and thinker, in contrast to his stubborn refusal to fail in virtually every other venture."

Reuters tweeted that the obituary had been wrongly published, and withdrawn:

Reuters published an obituary of George Soros in error. Reuters withdrew the article as soon as it appeared.

Evil man. Made money telling Nazi SS where Jewish people were hiding! He has NO problem with that blood on his hands. Said if US re-elected GWB he would destroy our country. I wonder whose puppet strings he is pulling now!

I think it is really funny! It is interesting to note that the Brits will never forgive him for taking on their national bank! lol Yes, George, is everywhere. However, if Reuters does not like him, I would love to call him a friend! No greater honor; not even a knighthood! How about a Chutzpahood! Really! Crying over getting beat in the world of financial dealing does not get my sympathy! We all have our moneymaking scars! So, I guess if you can't beat him, you defame him....after death! Not too upstanding I would say, and very funny that it inadvertently got out prematurely!